


you make it hard to be faithful

by saddestboner



Series: Tumblr Prompts [24]
Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Infidelity, M/M, Minor Angst, No Plot/Plotless, Non-Famous Family Members As Characters, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-08 17:57:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14110881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddestboner/pseuds/saddestboner
Summary: James has everything he could ever want, so why does he still want José?





	you make it hard to be faithful

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blastellanos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blastellanos/gifts).



> Posted [here](http://nullrefer.com/?https://saddestboner.tumblr.com/post/172292973046/jamesjos%C3%A9-james-has-everything-he-could-ever) in response to this prompt: **james/josé: james has everything he could ever want, so why does he want josé**
> 
> Cliché title from "Lips of an Angel," by Hinder.

When James walks out of the clubhouse and into the family lounge, he spots Jess waiting for him, looking like a vision in a pretty dress made of delicate, pale pink Swiss lace. Her wavy brown hair is clipped back with a barrette, but a few stray strands frame her face.

She still takes his breath away, after almost a decade of dating and marriage and babies.

“Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes,” James says, walking up to her and slipping his hands around her waist.

Jess laughs and cups a hand at the back of his neck, pulling him down to kiss him. “You just saw me a couple hours ago, silly,” she teases, stepping back and rubbing a hand over his chest. “You hungry?”

“Where’re the kids?” James asks, slinging an arm around Jess’s shoulders.

“They’re with Mama,” Jess says, beaming up at him. “Her and Daddy took ’em to the Legoland wave pool.”

“I didn’t even know wave pools were still a thing,” James says, laughing, tightening his arm around Jess’s shoulders.

“The important thing is… We got a couple hours to ourselves,” Jess says, rubbing her hand over his chest again. A sly little smile plays on the corners of her mouth.

James thinks about him and Jess finally having some time to themselves. With the boys—and the new baby on the way—they’ve hardly had any time to just be James-and-Jess. Like they used to be, in the days before diapers and three am bottle feedings and the terrible twos—and threes and fours, and so on… Sometimes, he misses it just being the two of them.

But James had already promised this particular afternoon away.

“I’m sorry, hon. I got a thing,” he says, apologetically, leaning in and kissing Jess on the cheek. “You understand, don’t ya?”

“You can’t just reschedule?” she asks, pouting a little as she brushes a stray tendril of light brown hair away from her face. “We hardly seen each other all week. And when we _are_ together, we’re takin’ care of the kids.”

“I can’t get out of it, Jess,” James says apologetically, reaching for her hand.

Jess pulls away from him and slings the strap of her purse over her shoulder to avoid him. “What’s so important you can’t just reschedule?”

James thinks of José, who’s waiting for him. José, who’s been waiting for weeks to finally get him alone. He just hasn’t had the time, what with juggling baseball, Jess, the twins, and planning for their new baby.

They’d made plans to go out for lunch. Then José was going to show him this new golf cart he bought—or maybe it was a go-kart, James isn’t entirely sure.

“I’m—”

“You know what? I don’t wanna hear it,” Jess says, stepping away from James. “Go do whatever you wanna do. Me and the kids’ll be waitin’ for you at home whenever you feel like spendin’ some time with us.”

Jess turns on her heel and stalks off before James can respond.

***

The front door to José’s house opens just as James lifts his fist to knock. José breaks into a grin when he sees it’s James, his eyes crinkling. He’s barefoot and shirtless, and there’s a faint flush spread across his chest. James wonders if he interrupted something.

“Hey, McCannon,” José says, opening the door and motioning for him to come in. “You late. I’m thinking you probably not gonna show up. But here you are.”

“Sorry,” James lies, sliding in behind José and nudging the door shut. “Traffic.”

“Traffic,” José echoes, sounding doubtful. But he doesn’t call James on it. Instead, he whirls around with all the grace of a ballerina and slides his hands over James’s chest.

“I thought you wanted to show me your new go-kart,” James says, letting José knot his fingers in the front of his shirt.

José just laughs and pulls him down into a kiss.

James wraps his arms around José, kissing back, but he can still see the disappointment that emanated from Jess’s icy blue eyes from that morning when he closes his eyes.

José slides his hands away from James’s chest and breaks the kiss. “Golf cart,” José corrects, shaking his head at James. He smirks and winks at James. “Could take you for a spin, you want.”

There’s a double entendre there, James thinks, but he lets it pass without comment.

He should be at home with Jess, putting the twins down for a nap so he and Jess can steal twenty minutes or so to make love. They haven’t lain together since she found out they were expecting again, a few weeks ago.

It’s just been so hectic lately.

“Let’s just…” James trails off, unsure of what to say.

He thinks he should probably turn on his heel, walk right back out to his truck and go on home. But instead, he slides his hands down José’s back, drawing him closer.

James has everything he could ever want, so why does he still want José?

Why has he never been able to be satisfied with the life he has?

Why has he always wanted _more_?

“Is it Jess?” José asks, and James is startled to hear her name on José’s lips.

José never talks about her or the twins. It’s not something they discussed beforehand, when they were just starting out. He thinks it’s José’s attempt to respect what little boundaries James has left.

“No. Yes. I mean—” James cuts himself off with a frustrated noise. He draws a hand down his face.

“You and Jess had a fight,” José finishes, reaching out and taking James’s hand in both of his. “And you’re here with me?”

“I promised,” James says, with a shrug.

José shakes his head a little, but he’s smiling as he leans in on the tips of his toes and feathers a gentle kiss over James’s lips. “The golf cart was just a lie to get you over here,” he says, kissing James again and stepping back. “But maybe you go home and smooth things over with Jess instead.”

“Tryin’ to get rid of me so soon?” James slips his hands away from José’s and catches him around the waist, tugging him closer.

José sighs and rests his hands over James’s chest, his impeccably trimmed nails flicking at the buttons. “I want you here. But Jess and the kids come first. I know that.”

James sighs. He’d said something to that effect to José when they first started this. He should have expected José would never forget it.

It’s true, too. If Jess ever got an inkling James wasn’t being faithful, he’d end things. He doesn’t _want_ to end things with José because, well… The sex is good and he actually kind of likes him, at least most of the time. But Jess and the boys—and the soon-to-be-born addition to the family—are his whole world.

Still, though.

“You’re important to me too,” James says, rubbing his thumb tenderly across the curve of José’s cheek. He leans in and kisses him lightly, but he knows what he has to do.

“ _Te amo, mi amor_ ,” José says, slipping his arms around James’s neck. He feels José lacing his fingers in the hair at his nape. “I know you don’t. Is okay, though. I love you enough for both of us.”

James sighs and shakes his head a little. “José, I—”

“Don’t ruin the moment.” José grins at him and pats him on the chest. “Go to your wife. I still be here waiting.”

James lets José push him to the door. When he opens it, he gets hit in the face with a blast of humid summer heat. James reaches up and tugs at the collar of his Polo shirt. He feels José’s hand on his back and he turns to him. José slides his hands over James’s face and pulls him down into another kiss, a hand knotting in the front of his shirt.

Then the kiss is over and James lets José push him out the door and onto the porch. The door shuts quietly behind him.

James looks up at the front of José’s house for a moment before he turns and heads down the little stone path. His truck is waiting for him in the driveway, and Jess and the twins are waiting for him at home.

He really should end things with José, once and for all, but he doesn’t have the stomach for it.

He might not speak much Spanish—he only knows enough Dominican slang and swear words to cuss out opponents—but he knows José told him he loves him. It was in his voice and the way he looked up at James, his dark eyes glowing like embers.

His feelings for José are complicated, and entangled with his feelings for Jess. He doesn’t think José would understand—James doesn’t quite understand, himself—and he’s not sure _how_ to untangle how he feels about both of them. So he doesn’t try.

James gets into his truck and cranks the window down. After blasting his horn a couple times in farewell, he pulls out of the driveway and angles his car in the direction of the setting sun.

**Author's Note:**

> The author of this piece intends no insult, slander, or copyright infringement, and is not profiting from this work. This story is a complete work of fiction and does not necessarily reflect on the nature of the individuals featured. This is for entertainment purposes only. If you found this story while Googling your name or the names of your friends, hit the back button now.


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